A Delayed Journey
by The Steel Sceptile
Summary: What would happen if Ash waited before going on his Pokemon journey? Follow a 16 year old Ash, as he starts his quest to be a Pokemon Master. Smart-Ash. Rated T for strong language.
1. Chapter 1 - Introduction

_Hello, and welcome to what is my first story. I have a few things that you may wish to know before starting. _

_Ash isn't really in character here, I'll do my best to get his character right, but the Ash in this story is smarter than the one you'd find in the animated series. This is what I would do with Ash if I had the creative control (which I don't). If you want a story that sticks to the anime, then this probably isn't going to be for you._

_I'm a new writer, I've never written any kind of story or novel before, so you'll have to forgive me if the quality isn't as high as some of the people on this site. Constructive criticism is welcome, as I'm doing this to improve my skills as a writer._

_I'm British/English/From the UK. That means that some of the words and spellings I use may be different to what you would consider correct. I ask that you bare with it, I write how I was taught to, and I spell how I was taught to. (Example: Mum = Mom)_

_As of now, I'm still unsure if Ash will have any human traveling companions, and if he does then I'm unsure about who._

_Finally, I don't own Pokemon._

* * *

Chapter 1 – Introduction

**Pallet Town – April 1****st**** 2041 - 6:41AM**

Dawn approached in the small town of Pallet. The hills partially illuminated by the upcoming bright golden sunrise, and the trees swaying gently in the crisp spring breeze. Hidden in the quiet hills was a small home, a brightly coloured house, with a well kept garden that greeted the sun as it began it's ascent of the sky.

Inside, a teen slept soundly, his shallow breathing barely audible. His messy jet black hair was poking out from under the covers. His room was small, but neat. A desk in the corner, with neatly piled paper to the side. Next to the pile was a keyboard and mouse, which connected to a modern looking computer. Posters of Pokemon, galaxies and various sports teams adorned the walls of the small room. The teen slept quietly in a single bed, with plain black covers and his head resting two plain white pillows.

This teen, of course, was Ash Ketchum. A sixteen year old, brought up in the quaint town of Pallet.

Ash had grown significantly in recent years, he only just still fit in his small bed. When he was 10, he was a mere 5 feet tall. Now he was a towering 6 foot 2". He had also grown in strength. As a result of daily exercise, and (fairly) healthy eating, the teen had a pretty built body. His arm muscles would stretch the sleeves of most of his shirts.

Today was a big day for the teen. He'd spent most of his life preparing for this one day. He was a smart boy, at the age of 14 he'd been picked for special tuition, which led to him completing his school education two years early at 16. When he was 12 he'd attended a survival camp in the summer, which taught him vital skills for use on a journey. His mother had forced him to learn to cook, which to start with, he resented. But he soon realised that this would be invaluable in the future.

Later today the boy who had put a massive amount of time and effort into preparations, would become a Pokemon Trainer.

**Pallet Town (Ketchum Residence) – 7:45AM**

The teen woke up with a start, and jolted quickly out of his bed. He quickly changed into the black jogging bottoms and a bright red sports shirt. He quickly put on his white trainers, opened his bedroom door and rushed downstairs. There was no sign of anyone downstairs.

'_I guess mum slept in today_' the boy thought to himself.

He shook his head, took a small metal key from his pocket and unlocked the front door to his house. As soon as the teen walked out, he was greeted by the bright radiance of the sun. The teen squinted his eyes, and put his hand out in front of his face to protect his eyes.

The teen continued to walk away from his house until he reached the edge of the front gardens' fence. He then turned right, and began to run towards a large looking building up a fairly steep hill.

It didn't take long for the boy to reach the building, he didn't enter, however. He ran straight past the building, and continued towards a small forest further along.

_'I'll be back here at the lab later' _the teen thought to himself, as he allowed a small grin to creep onto his face.

About an hour later, the teen had arrived back at his home. Leaning against the wooden fence, and panting heavily. The door to his home opened, and a young looking woman appeared in the door frame. The woman was his mother, Delia Ketchum. She had light brown hair tied in a pony-tail with a light blue bobble, and large chocolate brown eyes. Clad in a long blue skirt, with a pink cardigan, buttoned at the top, and a bright yellow under-shirt that was tucked neatly into her skirt.

'Morning Ash, did you enjoy your run?' Delia asked, as a sweet smile formed on the lips of the woman.

'Yeah, thanks mum. I suppose you had a nice sleep in this morning?' The black haired teen replied, giving his mother a cheeky smirk.

Delia gave a short giggle at her son's response.

'You know I need my beauty sleep, Ash.' Delia gave her son a hard glare as she saw him roll his eyes. 'But anyway, I've made you a special leaving breakfast. You'll need to keep your energy up for the start of your journey today.' A smile returned on the mother's face as she saw Ash's reaction.

With the bright smile still plastered on her face, the mother turned back to return into the house. With an eager teen not far behind.

In the kitchen there was a large table at the back of the room. On the table was an assortment of various breakfast dishes. There was bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, cereal, toast, baked beans and fried eggs. Along with this, there were four jugs of juice, and 3 types of jam with butter placed neatly beside it.

When Ash saw the mound of food at the table his eyes lit up, completely forgetting the exhausting exercise that he'd done not minutes before.

The black haired teen was always amazed at how his mother could cook up meals like this in seemingly no time. Not that this mattered to the, now very hungry teen.

Ash quickly took his seat, and started to pile food onto his plate. Delia watched on with a smile on her face. She always loved to see Ash enjoying the food that she provided. The happy mother, sat down opposite to Ash, and began to fill her plate, with a much more modest amount of food.

Not long later, the food that had been sat on the table was now gone. With a satisfied look on his face, Ash scooped up the last of the food on his plate, and ate it quickly.

'Thanks mum, that breakfast was great!' the teen almost shouted as he leaned back in his chair.

'I'm glad you liked it, Ash. I thought you'd enjoy a big meal considering it'll be your last at home for a while.'

The smile on Delia's face fell slightly, she didn't want Ash to leave. But she knew that this was his dream, and this quickly perked the young woman up again.

Ash gave his mother a reassuring grin, then began to gather up the dishes. He took the pile to the dishwasher under the counter, placed them carefully in their respective places, closed the washer, pushed a button and set the machine going.

**30 Minutes Later...**

Ash was in his room gathering the equipment that he needed for his journey. He had now changed into what he would call 'more appropriate clothing'. He had a pair of dark grey trousers, that had more pockets and zips than he could count. A black belt with hooks upon which various gadgets and equipment could be placed. He had a dark blue jacket on, with a plain black under-shirt. His ankle-length walking boots were a light grey colour, and were fastened tightly to his feet. Finally, he had a dark blue cap on, which had a white symbol of a pokeball etched into it.

The teen completed his checklist of equipment, and place them carefully and neatly into the large black hiking bag, that his mother had got for him on his 16th birthday. He was ready.

The raven haired teen then threw on his dark brown jacket, hauled his bag onto his back and walked out of his room. He stopped, to take a last look at his old room, then made his way quickly downstairs where his mother was waiting for him.

'Oh Ash, I'm going to miss you. You're all grown up, going on an adventure.' Delia smiled as she took Ash into a tender embrace. 'Don't forget to change your underwear.' The mother giggled softly as Ash broke the embrace.

'C'mon mum, I'm 16. I can look after myself!' Ash gave an embarrassed look. 'I'm going to head out now, I'll call you once I get to Viridian City.'

The teen gave his mother a grin, then turned towards the door. But quickly halted as he heard his mother speak again.

'Please, Ash, look after yourself.' Delia, for the first time gave a worried look.

'I'll be fine, mum. Remember I learnt a lot on that survival camp.'

Ash gave his mother a more serious look. Delia couldn't help but allow a smile to form on her face, she knew that Ash was more than prepared for the tasks ahead.

'Okay. Good luck Ash! I know you'll be a great Pokemon Trainer one day!'

Delia watched, as another grin found it's way onto Ash's face.

'Thanks mum, I'll do my best!'

With that, Ash turned, opened the door and headed out to the lab.

Five minutes later, Ash had arrived at the Pokemon Lab. He walked up to the door, knocked loudly, and then opened the door and allowed himself in.

Not long after, a man, dressed in a plain white lab coat appeared. The man had short grey hair, which stuck out to the left. He had large black eyebrows, that were furrowed as if the man was concentrating on something. He had a pink working shirt on underneath the lab coat, and had light brown working trousers.

The man relaxed, and gave Ash a smile once he realised who his guest was.

'Ah, Ash. Good to see you. You sure did arrive early today. I remember when Gary started his journey, he was 2 hours late!' The man chuckled, as he made his way towards the raven haired teen.

Ash gave a smile. Gary was Ash's best friend. Unlike Ash, Gary had opted to start his journey as soon as he had turned ten. Gary had an air of arrogance to him. But Ash never paid it any heed, he often spaced out, while Gary ranted about how great he was. Gary had been disappointed when Ash had told him that he was going to wait until he was properly prepared. Gary had so far, traveled though four of the surrounding regions; Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Each time, he had collected the eight necessary badges to compete in the region's league. Though he never got better than last 32, he would still always come back to brag about his achievements to Ash.

It was finally Ash's turn now though, and he was determined to do better than his best friend, and now rival.

'Hi, Professor. It's good to see you too. How is Gary doing?'

Ash walked up to the Professor, and extended his arm for a handshake, which the professor gladly took.

'Yes, Gary is now in Unova. He tells me that this is going to be his last region.' The professor seemed to regret his words almost immediately.

Ash looked a bit crestfallen. The news that Gary was going to be stopping his league challenges disappointed him greatly. He'd often fantasised about beating his rival in the final round of the Indigo League Tournament. It now seemed like a dead dream, he had missed his opportunity to compete with Gary.

The professor saw Ash's disappointed look. He couldn't help but feel bad for the teen.

'Well Ash, let's get to it. Are you ready to pick your starter Pokemon?'

Upon hearing this, Ash immediately perked up, and a large grin appeared on the face of the raven haired teen.

'Yes Professor, I'm ready!' Ash excitedly responded. Giving a fist pump to show his eagerness.

'Alright then, let's go.' The professor chuckled, as he led Ash further into the lab.

The pair eventually arrived at a room with three red and white Pokeballs set out neatly on a table.

'Now then. I know you've gone through a lot of preparations for this day, so I'm going to assume I don't need to give an introduction for each of the starters, correct?'

Ash gave a calm smile, as he walked up to the table.

'You're right professor. I've already given this some thought.' Ash paused, then gave an exasperated sigh. 'I actually don't think any of these starters are right for me'.

The professor gave Ash an odd look, then chuckled.

'You know, Ash, you're the first starting trainer that's ever said that to me.' Ash looked back at the professor, giving him a confused look. 'As it so happens, I do have one other Pokemon that you could pick.' The professor paused, and gave Ash a serious look. 'This Pokemon, it's not the most friendly. It doesn't seem to trust humans, and it took me quite some time for it to allow me to even feed it. Are you sure that none of the starters are for you?'

The professor watched Ash, as he slowly nodded towards the professor.

'Yes, professor, I'm 100% positive.'

Professor Oak gave Ash a smile, the professor knew his mind was set.

'Very well.' The professor pushed a button, and a fourth Pokeball appeared from inside the table.

The professor picked up the Pokeball, which Ash noticed had a lighting bolt on the top of it. Professor Oak then pushed the button in the centre of the Pokeball, and an explosion of dazzling while light materialised from the ball. Ash watched carefully, as the light began to take the shape of a small mouse. The mouse had long ears, that had somewhat pointed, black tips. It's tail was shaped like a thunderbolt. It's cheeks were a bright red, and it's body fairly slender for it's species.

'Pikachu!' The Pokemon squeaked faintly.

Ash cautiously walked up to the Mouse Pokemon, knelt down in front of it and smiled.

'Hi there, Pikachu. My name is Ash Ketchum, I'm a new trainer and I want to pick you as my starter. Would you like to join me on my journey?'

The Mouse Pokemon seemed surprised. Usually the humans would choose their partners, and assume that the Pokemon were okay with it. This human, however had asked him if he wanted to join him. The human was giving him a choice. The Pikachu felt as though he could trust this human. Not like some of the other trainers that had come in the past.

The Mouse Pokemon tilted it's head, as it looked curiously at Ash.

'Pika?' The Mouse Pokemon questioned.

'Yes, I choose you, Pikachu! Will you join me?'

Ash looked at the Pokemon with a hopeful look. Ash knew that he had at least gained a little trust from the Mouse Pokemon. But would it be enough for the Pokemon to choose him as a trainer?

'Pi.' The electric mouse nodded his head, and Ash gave a huge grin and let out a loud laugh.

'Thank you Pikachu! I promise, I'll be the best trainer a Pokemon could ever want.' Ash picked up his new Pokemon, and brought him into his chest in a small embrace.

The professor had wanted to warn Ash about this Pokemon's rather volatile nature. However, Professor Oak's sudden look of panic had changed into one of surprise. When the professor had first tried to pick up the yellow rodent, the Pokemon had given the researcher quite the shock.

'I'm impressed, Ash. It took me a while to gain any sort of trust with Pikachu. All you had to do was talk with it. But I must know, why weren't any of the starter Pokemon for you?' The professor enquired with a curious look on his face.

Ash looked up at the professor and gave a calm smile.

'Because I couldn't choose between them. I thought that you might have another Pokemon that was completely different. Luckily for me, you did.' Ash chirped as he placed his new Pokemon on the table in front of him. 'It's not like I can''t catch them in the wild either.' The teen added.

'Very well, Ash. If this is your choice. Now, this Pikachu doesn't like being in a Pokeball, so I would suggest that you not try to force it into one.'

Ash turned back to the Mouse Pokemon. Giving the electric mouse a long hard look, before giving a smile, and nodded.

'That shouldn't be a problem. You can travel along with me, besides it'll be nice to have some company.' Ash gave the small rodent another bright grin.

Pikachu again looked at his new trainer with surprise. The Mouse Pokemon hadn't expected the teen to be so understanding. Pikachu was glad that he'd agreed to go with this boy. The Pokemon allowed a small grin of his own to form on it's small face.

'Now, Ash.' The professor broke the moment of silence that had gripped the room. 'I have a couple of things for you before you set off.' Then man turned to another table behind him.

Ash and Pikachu made their way over to where Professor Oak was standing. Ash noticed 3 items on the table. One, the largest of the three, caught his attention. It was a glass case, with a metallic top and bottom. Inside the case was an egg. This particular egg was mainly dark blue, but had odd wave patterns of black towards the top.

'That's for me?' Ash had mixed feelings. He was shocked that someone had left this for him. He was curious about what Pokemon was held inside. And a part of him was happy that he would, eventually, be making a new friend.

'That's right Ash. This egg came all the way from Hoenn, from one Mr Stone. I believe you're familiar with him?'

Ash smiled, it made sense that Mr Stone had left the egg for him.

During his time in school, he had met Mr Stone in a chance encounter. Ash had impressed the president of the Devon Corporation. So much so that Mr Stone had given Ash a small task for him to do. Ash had completed this task, very quickly. Because of this, Mr Stone had offered Ash a position in his company. Ash, of course declined. But this was probably Mr Stone's way of returning the favour.

'Do you know what type of Pokemon will hatch from this egg, professor?' Ash enquired.

'I'm afraid not, Ash. Pokemon breeding isn't my area of expertise. But I'm sure a surprise will be better any way.'

Ash nodded in agreement. Catching the nod, the professor then picked up the second object from the table. The object was about the size of a fist. It was a glossy black colour, and had a large smooth button on the top. The button had an image of a green, old style tent.

'This Ash, is your tent. It came in the same package as the egg. Along with this letter'. The professor took out an envelope from his coat pocket, and handed it to Ash. 'You don't have to read it now, but I imagine it might have some information on the type of egg you have, and this tent device.'

Ash gave the envelope a quick look, then slid it into the left inside pocket of his jacket.

'And of course, every trainer needs a Pokedex.' The man picked up the final object on the table, and showed it to the raven haired teen. 'As I'm sure you'll know, this device will give you information on Pokemon that you meet. As well as that, it can give you more detailed information on Pokemon you've caught. So that would be moves, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and so on...'

Ash gave another short nod as the professor handed the device over.

Ash looked down upon the Pokedex in his hand. It was fairly rectangular, with curved corners. The device was bright red in colour, and had large light blue button on the top left. Directly to the right of this were three smaller LED lights – red, yellow and green from left to right.

The teen flipped open the device to find a large LCD screen on the left hand side, with a smaller screen on the right. The screens were above various buttons on each side. Happy that everything seemed in order, Ash closed the Pokedex and slid it into the free, right inside pocket of his jacket.

'Is that everything then, professor?' Ash asked, once returning his attention to the grey haired man.

'I believe so. I'd like to wish you the best of luck on your journey, Ash. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Do give me an occasional call to update me on how everything is going. And if you run into any problems, then I'd be happy to assist you in any way I can.' The famous professor gave a small grin, before extending his arm out to Ash. He teen gladly accepted the handshake,

'Thanks professor, I'll let you know if I need anything.' Releasing his hand from the professor, he carefully picked up the container that was still on the table. Turned and started to leave, with the yellow rodent in tow. Before the boy reached the door, he turned his head back towards the grey haired man.

'Bye for now, professor!' Ash gave the professor a final grin before turning again, and exiting the room, and the lab.

'Good luck to you my boy.' The professor softly uttered, as he stared at the now empty door frame.

End of Chapter 1

* * *

_Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed!_

_If you have any criticism, then feel free to leave a review. Same for anything that you enjoyed._

_The next chapter will be up once I've finished writing it, which I hope will be soon._


	2. Chapter 2 - The Journey Begins!

_Welcome to chapter 2. This one took a little longer than the first chapter took to write. I kept stopping and changing my mind about what was going to happen. I eventually decided on this._

_I'd also like to thank anyone who reviewed, favourited or followed. I didn't expect this good of a response, and I really appreciate it._

_Anyways, I'll let you read the story now. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 2 – The Journey Begins!

**Route 1 – 11:30AM**

There were few clouds in the sky, as the bright sunlight dominated the flat, and open landscape of Route 1. A single dirt path cut through the area, with the teen, Ash Ketchum walking in a Northern direction.

Ash had taken this path many times before. His former school was on the outskirts of Viridian City. He knew that he could reach the city within a few hours if he was quick.

But part of him didn't want the journey to be quick. He'd spent years suppressing the urge for adventure, and now he was finally given that freedom.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the teen looked down at the yellow rodent. Ash noticed that the Pokemon was having a hard time keeping up. The Mouse Pokemon was practically running to keep up.

'Do you need to take a break Pikachu?' Ash asked while giving the small Pokemon a look of worry.

'Pika.' The Pokemon nodded, and dropped comically on it's front.

Ash gave a light chuckle as he carefully placed the egg he was still carrying on the ground. He reached down to pick the tired Pokemon up.

'Alright, well we can take a break here then. You know if there is a problem, you can tell me. This is your journey as much as mine, Pikachu.' Ash softly said, as he ran his rand through the fur on the yellow rodent's back. 'We are going to have to work on your stamina though. But that'll come once we start training. I want to get to Viridian Forest before we start.'

'Pikachu!' The small Pokemon gave a determined cry, as he raised his right paw in the air.

Ash gave another light chuckle. Realising he now had a chance to read the letter that Mr Stone had left for him, he reached into his jacket,and pulled out the envelope.

Looking at the envelope in his hands, Ash saw his name written in handwriting on the front. The boy turned it over, and opened the crease. Ash pulled a single piece of paper out of the envelope, and unfolded it.

_To Ash_

_Hello, it's been quite some time hasn't it? You're probably wondering why I left you the Pokemon Egg and the tent. Well the answer is to return that favour that you gave me almost 2 years ago. You know, when asked you to go out and find that fossil. My son Steven was very impressed with the specimen you found. And we've made some big steps towards reviving Pokemon Fossils thanks to you._

_So, as a thank you, I'd like you to have the Pokemon Egg. And I threw in the tent as an added bonus. To use it, just press the button on the top, and aim it where you want the tent to go. The technology is pretty cutting edge, so please, take care of it._

_Thanks again, Ash, for all of you help. Know if you ever need anything, then I'm just a phone call away._

_I hope to hear from you soon,_

_Mr Stone_

Ash smiled as he refolded the paper and place it back in his pocket. He remembered how Mr Stone had approached him after being involved in one of Ash's classes.

Mr Stone had explained that there was an area just west of Route 1 that harboured many ancient fossils. The president had asked Ash to go to the area to find one of these fossils.

And Ash did just that. The day he was asked, he went to the area that Mr Stone had talked about. After about an hour of frustration, Ash finally stumbled across something that looked like a fossil. He'd put the fossil in his bag, and raced home.

Ash shook his head, with a small grin on his face. His mother wasn't pleased about him being late home, but she eventually forgave him.

And the next day Ash had found Mr Stone before his class, much to the older man's surprise, Ash presented Mr Stone with the fossil he'd found. The fossil turned out to be a particularly rare type, and Mr Stone had called Ash directly a few weeks later to inform him about it.

Ash snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Pikachu prod him with one of it's claws.

'You ready to go then, Pikachu?' Ash asked, as he looked down at the yellow rodent.

'Pi.' The small mouse nodded. But instead of walking on ahead, the Mouse Pokemon climbed up onto Ash's shoulder.

Ash gave Pikachu a grin, while letting out a quiet laugh.

'I guess you don't want to walk, huh?'

The yellow rodent shook it's head. The teen opened his bag, and placed the blue egg inside. It was becoming really awkward to carry, and there was more than enough room in his bag.

Ash then stood up, in doing so, he felt the small Pokemon cling onto his shoulder, trying to find a comfortable, but secure position. After a short while, Pikachu finally seemed settled, and Ash began to walk.

**Viridian City – 2:21PM**

The city was alive with activity. The pavements filled with people walking briskly to their destinations. Cars filled the streets, and the faint sound of sirens could be heard from the distance.

Ash was never a fan of big cities. The people seemed very cold, and uncaring. The fumes from the cars, and industry were sometimes overwhelming. It seemed Pikachu was having an equally, if not worse, time in the city.

The small Pokemon's nose was more sensitive than your average human. And the fumes in the air had an amplified odour to the poor rodent.

Ash noticed the sour look on the Pokemon's face, and decided that a trip to the Pokemon Center was probably for the best. He reminded himself that he needed to call his mother, and finalised his decision.

After walking a few blocks, Ash and Pikachu finally arrived at the Pokemon Center.

The building was fairly large, and was fairly unique to the buildings around it. There was green shrubs surrounding the building, and a large red sphere was the centre-point of the roof.

Ash walked up the short set of steps, with Pikachu still clinging to the teen's shoulder.

'Alright, I'm going to have Nurse Joy check you up, to make sure you're in top form. While that's happening, I'm going to go out an get some supplies.' Giving the Pokemon a quick look before continuing. 'I would take you with me, but you don't seem to be enjoying the city too much. You okay with that Pikachu?' Ash asked.

'Pikachu pikapi.' The yellow rodent squeaked in approval, and it nodded it's small head.

Ash grinned at his partner's response. He had suspected that the Mouse Pokemon wasn't too keen on cities. He was a forest mouse, after all. And Pikachu's sour face from earlier only added to his logic.

Ash and Pikachu walked into the Pokemon Center, the glass doors opening automatically when the duo came close. Ash quickly located the nurse, and made his way towards the fairly short woman. To Ash, at least.

The nurse was dressed in a large dress that came down to her knees. Her hair was a light pink colour, and was tied skilfully at the back. In such a way that two large loops protruded out in opposite directions. On her head was a white hat with a small red cross on it.

Upon noticing the raven haired teen, and the yellow rodent, she smiled.

'Hello there, welcome to the Viridian Pokemon Center. Can I help you?' Ash returned the smile.

'Yes, actually. I was wondering if you could check up on Pikachu for me?' The teen asked politely.

'Of course, has Pikachu been in any battles, or had any accidents?' The nurse asked with a slight feeling of worry. The Pokemon didn't seem to be in any discomfort. The nurse's look vanished, as she looked up at the teen.

'Oh, no. You see I've just got this Pikachu today. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with him before I started training.'

'That's very thoughtful. Not many new trainers would do this.' The nurse looked at Ash with an intrigued look before continuing. 'I'll give your Pikachu a check. It shouldn't take too long, but it'll probably take about an hour.' The nurse seemed impressed with the maturity, and responsible attitude of the teen. She remembered various other new trainers that she would consider unfit to have Pokemon.

The nurse quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ash reply.

'That's fine, I needed to go out and get some supplies anyway.' Ash turned to his Pokemon. 'You going to be okay Pikachu?' As he saw the yellow rodent nod, he smiled before allowing the electric rodent to jump off his shoulder towards the nurse. 'I won't be long Pikachu. And thank you Nurse Joy!'

'Not a problem. I need your name before you head out though.' Joy quickly added.

'Oh, of course. My name is Ash Ketchum.' The teen looked at the nurse sheepishly.

'Okay, Ash. Well once you're done getting your supplies, just come to the desk over there.' Joy pointed towards the front desk. 'And myself or a Chansey should come to help you out.'

'Alright, thanks again Nurse Joy!' Ash then hurriedly exited the Pokemon Center, and headed out to the nearest shopping district.

After about five minutes of walking, Ash had reached an area with plenty of shops. He thanked Arceus that he knew his way around here, thanks to the shopping trips that his mother used to drag him out on. Otherwise the teen would have had a much harder time finding shops.

Ash spotted an appropriate shop, and headed towards it. The shop looked like an outdoor sports shop.

As Ash entered, he saw various sections for separate sports. He quickly picked out the hiking section, and briskly made his way over after grabbing a basket from the entrance. The raven haired teen wasted no time in picking up supplies and dropping them into a basket. Heat packs, a couple of still energy drinks, some packets of energy paste and a handbook on berries that caught the teens eye.

In addition, the teen bought some potions and various status healers. The boy then quickly went to pay for the items, and left.

Ash then turned his attention to a Pokemon Breeder shop. This building was significantly smaller than the sports shop, and had a fairly traditional look to it.

The teen entered, with food for electric type Pokemon on his list. He easily found what he was looking for. He grabbed a fairly large tub from the shelf, went to pay and then left the shop.

The raven haired teen then began to head back towards the Pokemon Center. But another shop caught his attention. Looking into the shop, Ash saw that it was some sort of gadget shop. Intrigued, the teen entered.

Ash quickly saw Pokeballs, which reminded him, he needed to stock up on these.

Seeing as starter trainers no longer got free Pokeballs when they picked a starter. Apparently it was too expensive.

Eyeing the different types, Ash grabbed two packs of five regular Pokeballs. He then went and paid, a surprisingly large amount, and then left.

With his shopping now actually complete, Ash initiated his walk back to the Pokemon Center.

The raven haired teen had arrived back with about 20 minutes spare. So the teen decided it would be a wise idea to call his mother.

Walking up to a phone booth and sitting down. Ash imputed his home number, and then waited for a few seconds for someone to answer.

Not after long, the call was answered, and Ash's mother appeared on the screen in front of the boy.

'Hello? Oh, hi Ash! How are you doing?' The mother asked with a bright smile on here face. Happy to see her son was well.

'Hi Mum! I'm doing fine thanks. I called to let you know that I've made it to Viridian City in one piece.'

'Well I'm glad that your journey has started well. Which starter did you pick?' The mother enquired.

'I didn't pick any of them.' Ash smirked as he saw the confused look on his mother's face. ' I actually asked the professor if he had a different Pokemon to chose.'

Things now started to make sense for Delia. The two weeks leading up to today, Ash had been complaining about not being able to pick between the starters. Delia just assumed that he'd eventually reach a solution. And he did, it just wasn't the solution the mother had anticipated.

'So what Pokemon did you get for your starter then?' The young woman asked curiously.

'I chose a Pikachu.' Ash replied quickly with a bright smile on his face.

'A Pikachu? Well I trust you made the right choice.' The mother spoke sweetly while giving Ash a smile. 'So where is Pikachu? In a Pokeball?'

'No, Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs apparently. He's just getting a check up from Nurse Joy.' Ash responded.

'He's not hurt is he?' The mother gave a worried look.

'No, no. I just wanted to make sure he was fine to start training.' Ash laughed.

Delia sighed, she thought the Pokemon may have gotten hurt somehow.

'Well, that's a relief. How come Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs?' Delia asked, with an odd look on her face.

'Your guess is as good as mine. The best I've come up with so far is, would you like to be trapped in a ball?' Ash gave a small smirk.

'I guess that's a point.' Delia giggled. 'So is that everything then?'

'Well actually. Mr Stone left me some things as well.'

'He did? What did he leave you?' The mother seemed very curious. She knew Ash had helped Mr Stone out in the past. But she didn't expect Mr Stone to give Ash things.

'A Pokemon egg, and a tent.' Ash again looked at his mother in amusement, as she gave a bewildered look.

'He gave you an egg!' The mother's face changed to show an expression of shock. 'Do you know what type of egg it is?'

'Nope, I asked Professor Oak about it, and he said he didn't know. Mr Stone didn't say anything in the letter he left with me either.' The raven haired teen responded. 'Here, I'll let you take a look.'

Ash opened up his bag pack, and carefully lifted out the glass container, with the egg still safely inside. The boy lifted the container up so his mother could get a good look at it.

Delia was surprised at how large the egg was, she'd never seen one before. She looked in wonder at the blue and black egg. A smile forming on her face.

'I hope you look after it Ash. This is a really special gift, and it needs to be taken care of.' The young woman said, with a serious stare.

'I know, Mum. They taught us how to look after eggs while I was in school, so I think I should be fine.' Ash stated, as he gave his mother a clam look.

'I trust you know what to do. I'll let you go now, I'm sure you'll have other things to do. Let me know when you get to Pewter City.' The mother gave a cheery smile.

'Yeah, I will do. I'll see you soon!' Giving his mother a wave, he ended the call. He watched as the video image of his mother vanished, and was replaced by black.

Before standing back up, Ash replaced the egg back in his bag, then returned it onto his back. Then making his was to the front desk where Nurse Joy was working on a computer.

The nurse smiled as Ash approached, remembering the boy from earlier.

'Hello Ash, I've finished the check up on your Pikachu, and everything seems fine. Just take it easy on the training, some Pokemon can get stressed very easily while training.'

'Of course, Pikachu can tell me if he's getting tired. We can take breaks when he needs.' Ash replied with a smile.

'Good. I'll just go get him from the examining room. I won't be long.' With that, the nurse turned, and walked through a door that was directly behind the desk.

Not long later, Nurse Joy returned through the same door she had exited from. With a happy smile on her face, she handed Pikachu over to the teen.

'Thanks again, Nurse Joy!' The boy happily said. 'I do need one more thing though.' Ash watched the nurse as she nodded, beckoning the teen to continue. 'Could I get a room for the night?'

Ash had noted that the sun would be going down in a few hours. He thought it'd be best if he just stayed at the Pokemon Center for the night, and head out towards Viridian Forest in the morning.

'Yes, we have a few rooms left. It's just for one, right?' Nurse Joy asked.

'Yeah, just me and Pikachu.' Ash quickly responded.

'Okay, here's a key.' The nurse reached under the desk and grabbed a key. She took a quick glance at the number on the tag, before looking back up at the teen. 'It's room 7, the fourth room on the left. Just over there.'

Ash followed the outstretched arm of the nurse, and saw a corridor to the left of the desk. Thanking the nurse for her help, Ash with Pikachu reunited with the boy's shoulder, headed towards the corridor.

Finding the correct room, Ash slid the key into the lock, and opened the door.

The room was fairly small. It had a standard single bed in the far right corner. And the walls were painted a plain light blue colour.

Walking into the room, Ash dropped his bag onto the bed. Opening the bag back up, the boy slowly pulled out the egg container again. He placed it carefully on the bedside table, before staring at it for a few seconds.

Shaking his head out of the trance, he turned his head to the Pikachu on his shoulder.

'So we've got a few hours to kill, what do you want to do?' Asking the Pokemon for a suggestion.

'Pika.' The Pokemon shrugged it's tiny shoulders, as Ash let out a sigh.

'I guess it's going to be a boring first night then...'

End of Chapter 2

* * *

_I figured I'd use this to respond to some of the reviews I got._

_LightRayPearlshipper: Thanks! I'm glad that you found the story to your taste._

_RoxaShadow: I guess I just have to be a bit more confident huh? Looking back on it, it didn't really make sense to put the much detail into the breakfast. I was just trying to outline how much Ash eats. I'll try and avoid this in future. Thank you!_

_Bijuu vs jinchuuriki: I'm thinking about adding a travelling companion for Ash, and I'd only turn it into a pairing if it advanced the story in some way. As for the actual character, I wouldn't use characters like Cynthia and Annabel because they have roles in the Pokemon world. It wouldn't make sense for me to take them out of that. But if you have any other suggestions on who I could include, then I'd be happy to take them on board. Thanks for reviewing!_

_Adjuster: Ah, you'll just have to wait and see about that one ;)_

_FanaticLAguy06: Yeah, I always preferred the smart Ash stories as well. I guess I'm just not a fan of the anime's consistently naive Ash._

_As I said just above, I am thinking about adding a travelling companion for Ash. I need a realistic partner, and I'm not going to start working on the next chapter until I've worked out if I'm going to do this or not. And which character. So you can help me out or not, but doing so will probably help me make up my mind._

_Thanks again for reading. I'll see you in the next chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3 - Viridian Forest

_Welcome back! Last chapter, again got a fairly good response, which is excellent._

_I'd like to thank everyone that gave suggestions for Ash's companion, I just hope I don't disappoint some people._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I've put a fair bit of thinking into this one, so hopefully everyone likes it._

* * *

Chapter 3 – Viridian Forest

**Viridian City – April 2****nd**** 2041 -7:32AM**

Sky sky had gone through a complete transformation overnight. Instead of there now being glowing sunshine illuminating the city, there were dark clouds looming. Not a single trace of blue sky could be seen.

The temperature had also plummeted overnight. This seemed to sap energy from the air, leaving a still, but very cold environment. Such temperatures were unheard of in April, at least for Viridian City. This was only the third time on record that the temperature had dropped below freezing.

There were even reports of some flurries of light snow along the outskirts of the city. Thankfully causing little to no disruption for the people of the city.

**Viridian City Pokemon Center – 7:32AM**

Ash slowly rose from his bed, placing his feet carefully on the carpeted floor of his temporary room. Pikachu was still sleeping soundly in Ash's sleeping bag on the floor.

Giving the Pokemon a quick look, the teen stood up, removing the quilt from his body. He was wearing a plain black shirt, and large boxer shorts that almost reached his knees.

Moving quietly to the table he had placed his bag on, he unzipped the main pocket slowly, reached in to grab some clothes.

He picked out what was a copy of his attire from yesterday. A pair of grey walking trousers, a plain black shirt and his dark blue hoodie from yesterday. The boy also picked out his toiletries bag, and made his way towards the bathroom.

The room was small, but it had a shower, toilet and a sink. The boy placed the towel on the closed toilet seat, and removed his nightwear. Bringing the small black bag with him, he walked into the shower.

After about fifteen minutes the raven haired teen had finished his shower, and brushed his teeth. With the towel draped around his waist, Ash exited the bathroom and placed his used belongings back into his bag.

Ash took out what looked like a white handkerchief, and then closed up his bag. The boy then walked carefully back towards his bed, so he wouldn't disturb the slumbering rodent. Ash sat back down on his bed, and picked up the egg container from the bedside table.

The teen then began unscrewing the top. Once the metal top had been unscrewed, Ash removed it from the container. He reached in, and delicately pulled the blue and black egg out.

As he had been taught in school, Pokemon eggs needed to be treated with respect and care. Ash began rubbing the egg gently with the handkerchief.

After a few minutes, Ash had completed his task, and was about to place the egg back into the container. Just as he was about to do so, Ash felt, and saw, a warm glow emanate from the egg. This startled the teen, so much so that he almost dropped the egg.

Sighing in relief, the teen kept his grip on the precious egg. He wisely decided to quickly place it back into it's container. Lest the boy do some damage to it.

The teen screwed the top back on the container, and placed it back on the bedside table.

Feeling dry enough to change back into his walking clothes, Ash made his way back to his bag and took out the respective clothes and changed into them quickly.

Looking at his watch, which displayed the time as _'7:51AM'. _The teen decided that the yellow rodent had been given more than enough time sleeping in.

Ash knelt down over Pikachu and shook him gently.

'Come on Pikachu, we need to get going.' Ash frowned, this clearly wasn't working.

Shaking the Mouse Pokemon a little more forcefully this time, Ash saw Pikachu open his eyes groggily in slight annoyance. The rodent was enjoying his sleep.

'Get up Pikachu. We're going to be leaving soon.' Ash watched as the Pokemon gave a stretch and a yawn.

While the Pokemon was waking, Ash picked the egg container back up, and returned it into his bag. He then threw on his brown jacket. Seeing that the yellow rodent had seemingly shaken the tired feeling away, he began to roll the sleeping bag up.

'We're going to be heading for Viridian Forest today.' Ash told his starter. 'Once we find a good spot, we'll set up camp and start training. How does that sound?' The teen questioned.

'Pika!' The Pokemon cheered in approval.

Giving a grin, Ash finished rolling the sleeping bag up, and placed it in his bag.

'Alright then, Pikachu. Let's get moving.' Ash picked up his bag, and slung it onto his back.

The boy then offered his arm for the Mouse Pokemon to climb up. The Pokemon jumped from the bed to Ash's forearm, proceeding to crawl up to the boy's shoulder.

As the duo were about to leave, Ash gave one last look back to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. After confirming nothing had been left, he turned and left the room. Making sure to close the door properly as they left.

The trainer walked into the main entrance of the Pokemon Center, and headed into the cafeteria. Ash grabbed himself a bacon sandwich, with sausages and egg for sides and a coffee. The teen also picked up a muffin for Pikachu.

The duo ate their respective foods quickly, Ash thankful that Pikachu seemingly enjoyed the muffin. They then walked back out towards the desk in the main entrance. Once they arrived, Ash gave the key to the room back, and thanked Nurse Joy for her help.

Ash and Pikachu, then exited the Pokemon Center, into the cold outside.

**Route 2 – 11:27AM**

The freezing temperature had kept it's vice-grip on the air. Light snow was falling from the unusually dark clouds. The temperature here was much colder than in the city. Out here in the wilderness there were no city lights, no industry and less people for heat to come from.

Ash had a slightly worried look on his face. The boy kept looking up at the clouds and seeing no change in a pretty grim Sky. Ash knew that these kind of clouds usually meant heavy rain. But with the air temperature being below freezing, he figured it likely there'd be some heavy snow on the way.

And Ash didn't want to be caught up in it. The raven haired teen picked up his pace, his eyes scouring for a good place to set up camp. The surrounding area was still pretty flat, but it was too open for Ash's liking. He'd have preferred to have a little more privacy.

The boy could see the tree line that marked the beginning of Viridian Forest. Snapping his thoughts away from setting up camp, Ash gave his starter Pokemon a quick look. The yellow rodent was shivering ever so slightly, but he seemed like he'd be able to deal with the chill.

The duo had got to the forest in quick time, the area was now surrounded by trees. This gave the two a bit more shelter, from the snow. Which had increased in intensity since they'd entered the woodland.

Ash's pace had quickened still, he knew he needed to find somewhere to set up camp. He knew that he needed to set up a fire, otherwise they'd likely have trouble keeping warm.

After about twenty minutes of walking, the pair still hadn't found a suitable place to set up. The dirt path that they had followed to get into the forest had all but disappeared now. And the snow was now coming down fairly heavily. It was now beginning to settle on the forest floor.

'You doing okay there Pikachu?' Ash asked, breaking the silence.

The small Pokemon was now shivering quite significantly. This worried the teen, he didn't want the Pokemon suffering on their first night in the wilderness.

'P-pika ch-chu.' The rodent nodded, though Ash didn't buy the response.

'We'll find a good spot soon, just hang in there.'

Almost immediately after saying this, the duo came across a clearing. Ash quickly analysed the area, and although there was no river in sight. The raven haired teen approved of the site. He needed to set up soon, and this was a decent spot.

'Alright, we'll stop here.' Ash told his Pokemon.

Reaching into the right pocket of his brown coat, Ash pulled out the device that had been gifted to him. The teen pressed the button on the top, and pointed it to an area that was partially sheltered by the trees.

A green light appeared from the device, scanning the area in front of them. A holographic image of a tent then was projected by the device. Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared, and the tent began to materialise out of seemingly nowhere. The fabric of the tent formed quickly from the bottom up. And not after long, the tent had been fully built. The device gave a loud beep, indicating that it had finished. Ash slid the device back into his coat pocket.

'That was awesome.' Ash slowly stated, with a funny grin on his face.

'Pika.' The Pokemon looked at the tent in wonder, with it's mouth agape. He quickly jumped off the teen's shoulder and towards the tent and gave it a prod.

The tent was fairly small, Ash guessed it was probably a two-man tent. It was mainly black, with a blue roof. The shape looked like a lob-sided triangle, with the entrance on the face with the highest gradient.

Ash quickly made his way towards the tent, and unzipped the entrance. Inside, smack bang in the middle was a lantern, and a single plain white pillow at the back.

The raven haired teen dropped his bag off in the tent, making sure to take out his pocket knife, and returned outside. Pikachu was still looking at the tent in wonder, prodding the guy lines and the metal pegs they were secured with.

The snow had started to subside slightly while the duo were inspecting the bed. This didn't go unnoticed by Ash.

'I know these aren't the best conditions, but what do you say to a bit of training?' The teen asked the Mouse Pokemon.

The yellow rodent seemed to think for a moment, then had a quick look around. Now, also noticing the break in the snowy weather.

'Pika!' The rodent shouted, raising it's balled fist in the air.

Ash smiled at his starter's response. The teen reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his Pokedex.

'I guess it's finally time to use this.' The boy told himself, proceeding to point it at the Pokemon in front of him.

'Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon. This Pokemon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up.' The robotic sounding voice chimed.

Ash pressed another button, which displayed the moves that Pikachu currently knew.

'Quick Attack, Agility, Thundershock and Thunder Wave.' Ash nodded in approval. 'That's a fairly balanced move set, let's try them out.' Looking back at the Pokemon, sat ready for instructions. 'Okay Pikachu, you see that tree over there?' Ash pointed out a small looking tree, it didn't have any leaves so Ash assumed that it was dead. 'I want you to use Thundershock on it, can you do that?'

The small rodent nodded, as electricity began to spark from it's red check pouches. The Pokemon quickly made his way closer to the tree, then stopped. Taking a deep breath in, the Pokemon appeared to relax, as a current began to form from inside of it's body.

'Pika-chuuuuu!' The energy built up in the small mouse's body was released, creating a bright yellow, almost white, beam of energy. The beam wasn't smooth, however. It seemed to zigzag as it ripped through the air.

As quick as lightening, the Thundershock attack collided with the tree. The moment the attack touched the tree, a loud crack was heard, as the electrons from the beam flowed through the tree and grounded themselves.

Ash watched on in surprise, he didn't expect such an energetic attack. Thundershock was supposed to be a weak electric attack, but here it had left the tree smoking slightly.

'That was very good. You've got a lot of punch in that attack.' Ash told his Pokemon, as he returned his gaze to the yellow rodent.

'Pi pikapi!' The Pokemon seemed pleased with the compliment, but was showing slight signs of fatigue. The attack had taken a lot of energy from the rodent.

'Okay, now I'd like to see a Quick Attack.' Looking up at the environment, Ash spotted another tree. This one was much larger, and was clearly a living tree. 'That tree over there, use Quick Attack to shake it up a bit.' The raven haired teen pointed to another tree in the distance.

The Pokemon acknowledged the command, and set himself up for the attack. The yellow rodent again relaxed it's muscles, before taking off at a blistering pace. The Pokemon appeared to be coated in a white aura, as he rocketed towards the target.

Ash could hear the constant chants of the small rodent as it neared the tree.

After almost no time, the Pokemon had crashed into the tree with some force. The tree rattled in recoil, and the Pokemon bounced back, and landed awkwardly on the thin layer of snow.

Ash, again was impressed with the attack Pikachu had produced. There was significant force in the attack, and it had covered about 40 metres in mere seconds. He did, however, notice landing. The boy quickly sprinted to where his starter was now lying down on his back, his breathing was quick.

'You okay Pikachu?' The boy questioned, with a worried look on his face.

The Pokemon pulled itself back to it's feet. Pikachu's breathing seeming to normalise after the expenditure of energy.

'Pika pikachu.' The Mouse Pokemon nodded, returning to a battle stance. Showing his trainer that he Pokemon wasn't done yet.

Ash chuckled at Pikachu's determined attitude. He turned back towards the clearing.

'Okay. Now Pikachu, I need to to go to the centre of the clearing.'

Pikachu obliged to the instruction, making his way quickly to the centre. Once he's arrived, the Pokemon stopped and turned back to his trainer, awaiting his next command.

'Good, now use Thunder Wave!' Ash shouted towards the Mouse Pokemon.

Pikachu smirked, this was the move he enjoyed using the most. He relaxed his muscles again, allowing another current to form. Not after long, the Pokemon seemed happy with the charge and released it.

'Pikachuuu!' The Mouse Pokemon yelled.

A dazzling bright blue light emanated from the small Pokemon, as it diffused outwards. The electric energy travelled out in every direction for about 3 metres before beginning to fizzle out. The yellow rodent held the attack for about 3 seconds before running out of charge.

Unlike the other two attacks, this one didn't seem to take anything out of the Pikachu at all. More still, the snow around the Pokemon had melted. This left a green, grassy circle around the yellow rodent.

Ash, was again impressed with the Pikachu's output. He noticed the smile on the Pokemon's face, and assumed that this was the mouse's preferred attack. He walked up to the Pokemon with a grin on his face.

'Excellent, Pikachu. You seem to like that move, am I right?'

The Pokemon looked up at his trainer, and gave another smirk.

'Pikachu.' The Mouse Pokemon nodded at his trainer.

'I thought so.' Ash bent down to give the rodent a rub on the head. 'Now let's see that last move of yours. I want you to use agility around me.' Noticing the snowfall was beginning to pick up again, Ash wanted to conclude this training session quickly.

He watched as the Mouse Pokemon moved away from him slightly, before stopping about 2 metres away.

The Pokemon inhaled a deep breath, then vanished from in front of the raven haired teen. The Pokemon appeared to the right of the boy, before vanishing again. This time the Pokemon appeared to his left, before disappearing again. Then appearing behind the teen. Pikachu faded away again and appeared back in front of Ash.

This move had taken it's toll on the Pokemon, and combining this with the energy used for his previous moves, Pikachu was now pretty tired. His breathing was ragged, and his body felt very heavy.

'Very good, Pikachu. I think we can stop now, you must be getting hungry now.' Ash quickly told Pikachu, as he noticed the tired Pokemon's condition.

Sighing in relief, Pikachu made his way back towards the tent, with Ash not too far behind.

Once the duo had completed their short trip back to their tent, Ash made his way in and opened up his bag. Rummaging around for a short while, the teen had finally found what he was looking for, and pulled out a large tub with a thunderbolt sticker on the side. Ash then took out a small bowl, and placed it in front of the waiting Pikachu. Ash then filled it up to about halfway with the food from the tub.

'I looked up last night, how much you're supposed to eat, and a site said that half a bowl of electric type food should be enough.' Ash told his starter while placing the tub back into his bag. 'If you're still feeling hungry after you've eaten all that though, I can give you a little extra. You worked hard today, and I think you deserve a little extra if you want.'

'Pikachu!' The yellow rodent cheered in thanks. Forcing a grin on to the raven haired teen's face.

Ash watched as Pikachu dug into his afternoon meal. He seemed slightly relieved that the Mouse Pokemon was enjoying it, he was worried the Pokemon wouldn't like the taste. Though, thankfully, that didn't seem to be a problem.

'Once you've finished, we're going to have to go look for some fire wood. I think that tree you roasted would be a good start.' Ash told his Pokemon, though the rodent wasn't really paying attention. 'Then we'll go see if we can find a river. We're going to need the water.'

It would have been silent, but for Pikachu's rather loud eating. Ash allowed the yellow rodent to eat in peace.

After about 5 minutes, small mouse had finished eating. Ash had eaten an energy bar to subdue the hunger that was creeping in.

Seeing that Pikachu was ready for their next task, Ash opened one of the smaller pockets on his bag, and pulled out a lighter. He then exited the tent, with Pikachu in tow, and headed towards the dead tree that had been a target in their training.

Once they arrived, Ash pulled out his pocket knife, and unfolded it. He then proceeded to hack away at the branches. One by one, the branches fell, and Pikachu taking the initiative, picking them up and placing them into a pile. Once they'd got a fair amount of branches, they began heading back to where their tent was. With Ash carrying the pile of branches back.

Once they'd got back, Ash dropped the pile under the shelter of a tree, where it was dry. He then began carving the bark off the same tree to use as kindling. Once Ash deemed he had enough, he placed the bark under the pile, so that it wouldn't blow away.

Now they had the task of trying to find some stones to surround the fire with. This turned out to be a fairly easy task, with there being exposed rocks all over the forest floor.

They now had wood, kindling and stones to surround it with. Now all they needed was water. Ash noted that if they couldn't find a river, they could use the snow.

But after about ten minutes of searching the area, they'd found a river. Ash filled up a couple of small pots with river water and began to head back to where he'd set up camp, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

The snow had now intensified to where it was almost blizzard conditions. Visibility was very poor, but the trees gave them enough cover where they could see at least twenty metres in front of them.

As they were returning to their camp site, Ash suddenly stopped. He was looking at something in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he didn't quite believe what he was seeing. He approached quickly, and his fears were confirmed as he'd got closer.

What Ash had seen was a person. But this person was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Taking a moment to allow the information to process, Ash finally spoke.

'Ah, shit...'

End of Chapter 3

* * *

_So that is going to be the introduction to Ash's travelling companion. But who will it be? What did you think of the end of the chapter?_

_I'll now answer a few reviews._

_Guest: This is something I hadn't considered, so thanks for bringing it up. While Steven Stone won't be the main companion, I could see myself doing a short story arc with him traveling with Ash. But that was interesting, so thanks!_

_Dawn Ketchum Fan: Personally I don't think Ash would benefit in catching a legendary Pokemon. Plus the fact that Ash got roadblocked in the Sinnoh League is still in my head. They're just too overpowered, it wouldn't be a challenge for Ash. And he'd just end up doing a Tobias in the Indigo League. But thanks for your idea!_

_Legionary Prime: I'm currently not focusing on pairings at all to be honest. I think I mentioned in last chapter's review response section that I'd only be doing pairings if it advanced the story in some way. Which would take a lot of build up, I don't like it when stories rush into romance. Plus romance is not this story's focus point, I'm trying to have it more battle centric._

_Legionary Prime (Again): Yes, I will be having Ash catch some of his canon Pokemon. Possibly in different ways if I can figure good ideas for doing so. As for Eevee, if I was going to give this Pokemon to anyone, it'd probably be Ash's companion. But we'll see, I may change my mind in the future. There is still plenty of the story to come._

_RoxaShadow: Thanks for the compliments! In regards to the 'nothing happening' I agree with you. But I kind of dug myself into a hole with this one. I'd built Ash to be a character to know what he was doing. So if something had gone wrong on Route 1, that would undermine that. I was also being very cautious in not having something massive happen in the second chapter, I think it'd interrupt the flow of the story. Anyway, I hope the event at the end of this chapter will be enough to satisfy your reading needs. Thanks for leaving the review!_

_There has also been a bunch of reviews about the egg that Ash got. I'm not giving anything away just yet, but I want to know. What do you think is in the egg?_

_Thanks for reading. I'll try and get started on the next chapter as soon as I can. If I'm taking a while with chapters, then I usually update my profile on the status of the current chapter. So if you're bothered, go check that out. _


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